Vincent Brown’s turbulent tenure as North Carolina A&T’s head football coach came to an end Wednesday morning.
The Aggies announced his dismissal following consecutive 1-win seasons, a stark departure from the HBCU program’s proud tradition of success.
“We want to thank coach Brown for his contributions to the North Carolina A&T football program and for helping us transition into the CAA Football Conference,” Director of Athletics Earl Hilton said in a release. “We wish him and his family the best as they move forward and in all future endeavors.”
Brown came to North Carolina A&T after serving four years as defensive coordinator at William & Mary. The Aggies posted a 1-10 mark in Brown’s 2023 debut, beating only Norfolk State 28-26.
Staff changes were made in the off-season as Brown sought to upgrade the offense. There were promising moments, but this year’s team slumped to 1-11, with the only win coming in a 27-20 overtime game over Division II Winston-Salem State.
Collectively, NC A&T went 0-16 against CAA foes over two seasons. Every CAA loss this fall, except for a 20-17 defeat at Richmond, was by at least 10 points.
A&T suffered a brutal 66-24 defeat at North Carolina Central, their chief rival and former arch-nemesis from the MEAC, on Sept. 21. The Aggies also lost to former MEAC partners Hampton (59-17) and South Carolina State (45-25) by wide margins.
“Thank you for the opportunity to serve the young men in the A&T football program,” Brown posted on X on Wednesday morning, even before the announcement of his dismissal became public. “I have nothing but the highest hopes for their success. Not the results on the field that anyone expected, but my faith in how we went about our work and how we were building it is rock solid.”
Brown A ‘Class Act’ But Couldn’t Produce Enough On The Field
Brown’s character and determination to turn the A&T program around never seemed questioned. But coach and program never seemed like a good fit, especially with fans accustomed to seeing the Aggies winning – and winning often. There wasn’t much tolerance for a patient rebuild.
North Carolina A&T captured four Celebration Bowl titles over a five-year period from 2015-2019 – signaling the program as the top Division I HBCU football team in the nation. The 2017 squad under coach Ron Broadway went 12-0. The 2018 team finished 10-2, while the 2019 group posted a 9-3 mark, both under coach Sam Washington.
The school left the MEAC after the 2019-20 school year and the football program has struggled to find its bearings ever since. COVID canceled the 2020 season. The Aggies joined the Big South Conference in July 2021 but changed course and, along with Campbell University, moved its athletic programs to the CAA in July 2023, coinciding with Brown’s arrival.
As recently as Nov. 24, Brown seemed to have the support of the school’s athletic department to stay on for another season as head coach.
In a meeting with A&T supporters [see video below], Hilton said that he was “absolutely convinced that coach Brown is the right person, at the right time, in the right place to help us navigate through this and get to the place where we will be happy with our football program. He has my complete support. The more that I look at and consider it and evaluate it, I am more and more persuaded that he is the guy that can lead us through this.”
Semaj Marsh, the founder of BlueDeathValley.com, which has provided in-depth A&T football coverage since 2004, called Brown a “class act” during his time as head coach.
“Always treated us with respect and was very forthcoming with information during his press conferences,” Marsh wrote in a social media post. “Showed up every Monday with his head held high. I appreciate everything Coach Brown tried to do to improve the A&T football program. Salute.”
Where Does NC A&T Football Go From Here?
The North Carolina A&T head coaching job remains a coveted position despite its challenges, including navigating the new college football landscape of NIL, the transfer portal and ever-shifting conference realignment, even at the FCS level.
North Carolina A&T is one of the top HBCUs in the state and nation. It has a passionate fan base and notable tradition in athletics dating back decades. It plays in one of the top FCS conferences, though some of its biggest brands (Richmond, Delaware) are leaving after this school year.
Steven Gaither from HBCU GameDay wrote that he believes the school could make a hard push to hire Shawn Gibbs, head coach at D2 Fort Valley State the past three seasons.
Gibbs has strong ties to North Carolina A&T, having served as running backs coach from 2011-21. The Aggies had multiple 1,000-yard running backs while Gibbs was with the program. One of those players, Tarek Cohen, won MEAC player of the year three times, earned All-America status and went on to the NFL.
Fort Valley State posted a 6-4 record this season, 6-2 in the SIAC. The Wildcats went 8-3, 6-2 SIAC in 2023, defeating Johnson C. Smith in the Florida Beach Bowl. Gibbs’ 2022 team at Fort Valley State finished 8-2, 5-2 SIAC.
Vincent Brown Becomes Seventh NC College Coach Dismissed in 2024
Brown’s firing is the latest in a wave of coaching changes across North Carolina college football, marking the seventh dismissal of a head coach since October. The list includes prominent programs like UNC (Mack Brown) and East Carolina (Mike Houston), as well as HBCU schools Shaw University (Adrian Jones) and Elizabeth City State (Marcus Hilliard).
Davidson College also is looking for a new head coach. Scott Abell resigned last week to take the open head job at Rice University, an FBS program.
2024 North Carolina College Football Head Coaching Changes: Latest Updates
- Dec. 4 – North Carolina A&T fires coach Vincent Brown
- Dec. 3 – Shaw University fires Adrian Jones as head coach
- Dec. 2 – Appalachian State fires Shawn Clark as head coach
- Dec. 1 – UNC names Freddie Kitchens as interim coach
- Nov. 27 – East Carolina officially announces Blake Harrell as its new head coach
- Nov. 25 – Scott Abell resigns as Davidson’s head coach, named new coach at Rice University; Jon Berlin named interim coach
- Nov. 25 – UNC fires Mack Brown as head coach
- Nov. 18 – Charlotte fires Biff Poggi as head coach; Tim Brewster named interim
- Nov. 16 – Elizabeth City State names David Castillo as interim head coach
- Nov. 14 – Elizabeth City State fires Marcus Hilliard as head coach
- Oct. 20 – East Carolina fires Mike Houston as head coach; Blake Harrell named interim
